Early Baseball Leagues History

In 1845, Alexander Cartwright led the establishment of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, the first team believed to have played baseball under modern rules. The club's by-laws committee formulated the Knickerbocker Rules, which in large part dealt with organizational matters and laid out rules for playing the game. In 1857, sixteen New York area clubs, including the
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In 1845, Alexander Cartwright led the establishment of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, the first team believed to have played baseball under modern rules. The club's by-laws committee formulated the Knickerbocker Rules, which in large part dealt with organizational matters and laid out rules for playing the game. In 1857, sixteen New York area clubs, including the Knickerbockers, formed the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), the first organization to govern the sport and to establish a championship.

Aided by the Civil War, membership grew, leading to a more unified national version of the sport. Beginning in 1869, the association permitted professional play, addressing a growing practice that had not been permitted under its rules to that point. In 1870, a feud developed between professional and amateur ballplayers. The NABBP split into two groups, one became the National Association (NA), largely considered to be the first major league. (show less)

League championships were typically awarded to the the team with the best regular-season record.
In 1876, the top 2 NL teams agreed to play a 5-game Championship of the West. From 1884-1891, the NL and AA met in a World's Championship Series.
The NL has tried several championship formats: a playoff series in 1892 between half-season champions, a best-of-7 Temple Cup series from 1894-1897, and a Chronicle-Telegraph Cup series in 1900. Since 1903, the AL and NL champions meet annually in the World Series to determine a champion.